The Tecumseh School Board released the following statement on Friday, February 9.

The Tecumseh Local Schools Board of Education is pleased to announce the appointment of Paula Crew as superintendent for the district effective August 1, 2018.

Mrs. Crew has served Tecumseh Local since 2003 when she joined the district as Director of Special Education and Professional Development. She’s been serving as Assistant Superintendent since January 2013 and has been a strong advocate for our students in all facets of education and community involvement. Prior to joining Tecumseh, Mrs. Crew worked in the Clark-Shawnee district as a Special Education Teacher and an Assistant Principal. She has received many accolades for leadership and community service and served our country for six years in the Army Reserves.

“Mrs. Crew has been an asset to our district since joining. Over the past several years, she has worked diligently to provide opportunity and leadership to our young people. This is the right choice for our district and allows us to continue building on our solid foundation of serving our students. I look forward to the board’s partnership with Mrs. Crew in the new school year”, says Peter Scarff, TLS Board of Education president.

Last November, Mr. Norm Glismann, the district’s current superintendent, announced his retirement at the end of the current school year.

The New Carlisle News will have a feature story on Mrs. Crew in the February 14 edition.

Tyler Hughes, of Frayne Dr., reportedly led Clark County Sheriff deputies on a high-speed chase through residential areas of Park Layne on Friday evening (February 5).

A deputy spotted Hughes driving a Dodge Durango on Gerlaugh Rd., and the deputy knew that he had several warrants.

The deputy followed Hughes, on Stratmore, Weinland, Frayne and Campbell, reportedly at speeds of 75 MPH at times.

Documents filed with the Clark County Municipal Court allege that Hughes tried to lose the deputy by making numerous turns “with disregard for anyone in the area.” The report states that Hughes was fishtailing and driving in a reckless manner.

Hughes reportedly turned onto Campbell from Weinland, ran over the stop sign and went into a yard. He got back onto the road and turned onto Frayne. He then locked his brakes, slid over the stop sign and fled on foot.

The deputy tased him, cuffed him and placed him under arrest for Failure to Comply and Resisting Arrest.

He plead Not Guilty at his arraignment and has his pre-trial on February 20.

Hughes’ warrants stemmed from an incident in Miami County on February 2. At 1:49 p.m., a deputy was sent to a trailer park near Brandt for a report from a woman that Hughes was beating up her daughter. Dispatch reported hearing screaming in the background. The woman told dispatch that Hughes was dragging her daughter outside and ripping her clothes off trying to get her into a Dodge Durango. She said that they left and believed that her daughter was in extreme danger.

The woman said that Hughes is her daughter’s boyfriend and that they have children together. She said that her daughter came to her home claiming that Hughes had pistol-whipped her at their home in New Carlisle. She said that Hughes came to her home shortly afterward and said that she was leaving with him. The daughter said that she wasn’t going to leave. She said Hughes then tried to force her out of a chair and dragged her to the front door. She said she tried to stop Hughes, but he pushed her to the ground injuring her arm. She said that during the fight, her mirror was broken and that there was glass all over the floor. She said the fight continued down a hallway and that her daughter tried to lock herself in the bathroom, but Hughes pulled her out of the home.

The deputy saw evidence of a struggle.

The deputy was advised that Clark County had located the vehicle and the daughter was in it.

The deputy went to Medway to speak with the girlfriend and gave her a domestic violence packet.

Deputy Nick Anderson was on the scene and he said that Clark County deputies were searching for Hughes and had a warrant for his arrest for assaulting someone with a pistol last week.

The girlfriend said that she and Hughes had been together for six years and they just got married last June. She said that she has four children and that Hughes is the father of three of them.

In spite of frigid conditions, cadets from Tecumseh’s OH-881 and Fairborn’s OH-031 JROTC units came together on Saturday to participate in the second annual Bataan Death March Memorial Hike.

The 14 mile hike honors the memory of the thousands of American soldiers who lost their lives during the excruciating 65-mile Bataan Death March in the Philippines during World War II. It also serves as a significant fundraiser for Honor Flight, with cadets gathering pledges in exchange for completing the event.

After a solemn opening ceremony in Tecumseh Middle School, over 50 cadets lined up to either run or walk 14 miles in 32-degree weather. Maj. Doug Couch, an advisor for the OH-881, says the freezing conditions were perfect for the event.

“There should be a level of harshness to this Hike,” explains Maj. Couch, “The men who were part of the Bataan Death March did it in horrible conditions. Thousands died. We don’t want anyone to get hurt here, but this also shouldn’t be a walk in the park either. The (cadets) should experience some hardship doing this (particular event).”

All participants finished the Memorial Hike in just under 4 hours. First place finisher, OH-881 Sophomore cadet Jaden Macik, and third place finisher, OH-031 Freshman cadet Wylie Parker, agree that the event is an effective way to remember the difficulties faced by those who were forced to take the Bataan Death March. They also say completing the Hike gives one a unique sense of accomplishment.

“You are out there and it’s so cold. Then you remember that those men were forced to walk in horrible, hot conditions. (...) It helps you think about what you have and what they must have gone through...and this is really so much easier than what they experienced.”

Both cadets are athletes, but neither is involved in any long-distance running activities, so they say the Hike also helped them appreciate the importance of conditioning. They further comment that they would like to see more JROTC events like the Memorial Hike, saying, “This was really fun, and it makes you think. It was a really good thing to have.”

First, second, and third place winners received medals and a coupon for Slice of Heaven pizzeria in Enon. Everyone received a certificate of participation upon completing the entire course.

Cadet Adamson says over 20 volunteers from Tecumseh High School and the local community gave their time and talents to make the day a success.

All of the monies collected are being donated directly to Honor Flight. In addition to the pledges gathered by individual cadets, local businesses made monetary and raffle donations as well.

Cadet Adamson says taking on a project as difficult as the Bataan Death March Memorial Hike is worth the work, not just because it helps JROTC cadets remember the fallen, but because it also allows them honor the service people who came home by sending them on a once-in-a-lifetime Honor Flight to see their memorials in Washington D.C.

“(The Hike) is a way to do something for someone who, at just a few year older than me, was taken away from their homes to protect the freedoms that we have today. To me, we owe (veterans) so much more than what they received. (...) I feel very strongly about raising this money because I want the veterans to know that people still appreciate what they did for us as a nation all those years ago.”

The OH-881’s goal was to raise $4000 in order to send 10 veterans on an Honor Flight. As of this writing, the unit just reached its goal, but will continue to accept donations to send more vets on a Flight. Those wishing to contribute may contact the unit at 937-845-4464 or drop off funds at Tecumseh High School located at 9830 West National Rd., New Carlisle, OH 45344.

The City of New Carlisle received a Healthy Community Award from the Ohio Department of Health and the Healthy Communities Coalition.

“I’m proud to award this to the City of New Carlisle for taking steps in preventing chronic diseases,” said Elle Evans Peterson of the Clark County Health Department. “This is for your work in the parks, the New Carlisle Farmer’s Market and also for your work in the smoke-free parks.”

Peterson was also instrumental in obtaining a grant to install the baby swings in the parks.

Council also heard a presentation from Wendy Hyde of the Tobacco 21 Initiative. Hyde’s group is working to increase the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21.

Hyde cited the example of her 14-year-old son who interacts with 18-year-old students at school. “If an 18-year-old goes to the store before school and buys his tobacco products that morning or his chew or his cigarettes, he has access to share that with my son, or my son can purchase it from him.”

She said that 12 to 14 years of age is when most students are first exposed to tobacco products. Increasing the legal age to purchase tobacco to 21 will eliminate that interaction.

“33.4% of Clark County students reported having tried cigarettes by the age of 18 and 11.3% of Clark County students smoke cigars or little cigars,” said Hyde. “One of the reasons those are big items is because they’re 2 for 99¢.”

She also cited several communities that have passed legislation to make 21 the legal age for buying tobacco.

Council then went into their second work session on the 2018 budget.

The third budget work session will be at 7:00 on Monday, February 12, and the next regular City Council meeting will be on Tuesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m. Both meetings will be held at the Smith Park Shelter House. The public is invited to attend.

Despite the fact that both teams sat at the bottom of their division of the Central Buckeye Conference, there is a lot of pride when Tecumseh and Northwestern battle on the court.

The neighborly-rivals played in a crossover game last week in Springfield, and after a big second and third quarter, the Arrows earned a 69-47 win over the Warriors to push their record on the season to 3-14 overall, 3-6 in the conference. Northwestern dropped to 3-13, 0-9 in the Mad River Division.

Tecumseh was led in scoring by Easton Lewis as the sharpshooter scored 17 points which included four three-point shots. Devin Alltop added 13 and Davey Berner scored 12 for the Arrows.

The Warriors were led in scoring by Evan Noffle 12, Jalen Minney 10 and Ethan Farmer eight points and 10 rebounds.

Northwestern only held one lead in the game, when Evan Nofkee scored in the opening seconds to give the Warriors a quick 2-0 lead. The Arrows answered with a pair of threes from Lewis and Donovan Collins.

The Warriors hung around in the opening quarter behind the play of Nofkee and Adam Reidinger, who kept the Arrows lead at a minimum with scores in the opening four minutes. Matthew Hurt scored in the paint for Northwestern to cut the Arrows lead to 12-8 with 3:33 left in the first period.

Tecumseh then put together a run at the end of the period behind four points from Tyler Cory and they looked to head into the second period with a double-figure lead before Hart connected on a three at the end of the first period, cutting the Arrows lead to 18-12 heading to the second.

From there, Tecumseh began to slowly start to pull away. Leading 22-16 midway through the second, Alltop connected on a three for the Arrows, and followed with another three the old-fashioned way to give Tecumseh a 28-16 lead.

Northwestern continued to battle, as Ethan Farmer hit a pair of free throws, and Reidinger added three more points to try to keep it close, but a pair of free throws from Clay Mastin sent the Arrows into the half leading 37-22.

The Arrows put the game away early in the third, and left no doubt to the outcome. Four quick points from Lewis and a three from Mastin make the Arrows lead 22 points, then after a Northwestern basket, the Arrows reeled off seven more points to take the lead to 51-24 with four minutes left in the third.

Northwestern had one last push to close the gap, as they went on an 8-3 run to end the quarter behind the play of Farmer. Tecumseh led 56-38 heading to the fourth before they put the game away in the final eight minutes.

*Last last week, Tecumseh lost to Kenton Ridge 57-39. Berner and Alltop each scored eight to lead Tecumseh.

Tecumseh is back in action Friday night hosting Indian Lake, then Greenville comes to town on Saturday.]]>

Park Layne Elementary

New Carlisle Elementary

Karen Krogg

Derek Hord

Angela Greene

Helen Collins

Tecumseh Middle School

Tonya Collinsworth/Emily Smith (project partners)

Stacy Blackburn/Christi Leggett (project partners)

Tecumseh High School

Cathy Kendig

The TEF Teacher Grant program has supported educator innovation for over 25 years. The mini-grants are awarded to educators who design or expand their own educational project, providing the financial support needed to help make a new, original program a reality or sustain popular projects already in place. For Tecumseh Local School District (TLSD) students, the parameters help ensure their specific needs are being met through the winning projects.

All TLS educators are invited to compete for TEF grant monies, but competition can be stiff. Grant recipients can qualify for up to $750 for the supplies and materials necessary to carry out their distinctive project. The winning projects are as varied as the educators who create them.

First-time TEF Teacher Grant winner, Gaybrielle Ray, has worked in the district since 2016. She serves as a Library Aide at Park Layne Elementary School. Ray says her mini-grant will help expand and support Park Layne’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (S.T.E.A.M.) areas recently installed at the school.

“The funds awarded for the grant that I wrote, ‘S.T.E.A.M. Ahead to the Future,’ will be used to purchase items that support all Park Layne students and the many library books in the Park Layne Elementary School Library,” explains Ray. “(The items) will be great resources to use with our new creative tools in the S.T.E.A.M. areas where our students love to use their minds and hands to create and experiment. It is very important that all students are afforded the opportunity to be creative. Research has shown that girls, especially, really need to have the opportunity to use and develop the left side of their brains. This grant will support all students. I will be purchasing LEGOs designed for both boys and girls, magnetic tiles, magnifying glasses, musical instruments, and magnets.”

The number of TEF grants available depends on the amount of money donated towards the program. Ray, who also won an Altrusa Literacy grant for Park Layne in 2017, says the TEF mini-grants “are very important supportive tools for educators.”

“Teaching is a calling and many teachers are very passionate about educating each student as an individual. I have learned that grants help educators who go above and beyond what is expected to be able to purchase tools necessary for reaching all children and learning styles. I am constantly amazed at the creative minds our staff of educators have and how they are constantly working to find ways to meet all of their students learning style needs.”

There was a total of $6498.89 in grant monies available for the 2017-2018 mini-grants. Donations made by the New Carlisle Breakfast Optimist Club, New Carlisle’s Rotary Club, and individual donations towards the TEF made this year’s Teacher Grant awards possible.